


It's Not Her

by bluecryptid



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Phase Three (Gorillaz)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 04:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13803258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluecryptid/pseuds/bluecryptid
Summary: 2D arrives on Plastic Beach after being kidnapped by Murdoc. Murdoc mentions something about Noodle being with them, and as a result 2D gets his hopes up only to be disappointed.I'm still bad at summaries.





	It's Not Her

**Author's Note:**

> Something I did for the writing club on Gorillaz amino. We had to rewrite a canon scene. I hope this is okay, it's somewhat rushed.

 

Stuart had just gotten back from the store, a bag of art supplies in his hand. He set the bag down on a nearby table, probably to be forgotten about for a while. Next he discovered a crumbly piece of paper sitting on his desk. Messy writing littered the page, some of it in pen and some in pencil. It was a song he had been writing on and off for the past few days. He sat down and stared at the paper, thinking of ways he could phrase the thoughts in his head. 

Life was alright now. At first it was difficult; figuring out what to do and where to go. At first he decided to go back to his parents and work at the fun fair, but left soon after to try and live on his own for once. He tried going to law school, but he soon decided it wasn’t for him. Life after was a blur, but he ended up in a flat in the city after about a year and stayed there. He couldn’t really quite recall what was in that odd year in between. 

He had been writing more music recently, as he was doing at the moment. He’d stopped writing after the band broke up. It was a shame, in those two years he had forgotten how much he enjoyed it. The way words fit together to make a certain message had always enticed him. Strangely, while searching for himself, he seemed to stray further from himself. 

But nothing will be the same after that incident. It was nice, writing songs himself, but he missed having Russel and Noodle there to help. But now he and Russel had split when the band broke up, and Noodle… He wanted to believe that somehow she was alive, but was it probable? Not quite. Did the idea comfort him? Yes, and that is why he hung onto it. 

There was a brief shuffling outside of the flat’s door. It was a miracle Stu noticed it, being so lost in thought. He brushed it off and looked back down at the paper, trying to find his train of thought. There were more strange noises coming from outside, and he couldn’t tell exactly what they were. Curiosity overtook him and he stood up and stumbled over to the door. He peered through the peephole, but saw nothing. He shrugged it off once more and stared out the window, hoping to regain his train of thought. Maybe something would come along and give him inspiration. 

After a few moments passed a strange smell began to fill the air. He was sure he smelt it before, but where he had smelled it he was unsure. Mere seconds later he began to feel dizzy and his vision was fading. The glass rushed towards his face and then there was nothing. 

  
  


There was a thump. Stu opened his eyes. It was dark, tight, and cramped, wherever he was. It felt as though there was barely any air around him. His first response was panic, trying to push himself out of the container. His breathing grew more rapid. He kicked at the walls, hoping to break loose of the small prison. Something knocked into the box with great force, startling him. He stopped squirming, but the adrenaline still rushed through his veins. It was then he realized how hot it was in the box. The amount of sweat on his body was uncomfortable, especially in the tight space. It was too much. He put his feet up against the wall and pushed. There was a snap and he tumbled out, much to his surprise. The sun blinded him and he had to put his hand over his eyes to see. 

The sight he was greeted with surprised him greatly. A vast, blue ocean sat before him, glistening under the hot afternoon sun. The land before him was a strange pink-orange. The next sense to hit him was the smell. It was the familiar scent of landfill. 

“I see you’re up. What’dya think, eh?” A voice he knew to well spoke behind him. He turned around, still sitting in the suitcase. Yep, it was him. And he was wearing some sort of strange pirate get up. 

“W-” 

“I know, it’s great!” Murdoc interrupted him. “We’ve got this whole place, all to ourselves! And there isn’t anyone else to say otherwise for miles!” 

2D stood up and began surveying the land once more. “What is this place?” he asked, uncertain as to how to feel just yet. 

“It’s Plastic Beach! My own paradise!” he beamed, obviously proud of himself. 

“Wha’?” was all he could bring himself to say. 

“ _ What _ ? That’s all you have to say? Isn’t it magnificent?” he gestured to the landfill that lay before them. 

2D was still trying to process everything. “Not, uh, not really. Why’d you bring me ‘ere? I thought the band broke up.” 

“Well, we’re all together now!” Murdoc hummed. 

“Where’s Russel then? Did you kidnap him, too?” he narrowed his eyes, incredibly suspicious.

“No, eh… uh…hmm…” he pondered for a response. “Russel’s not here. But Noodle is!” 

“She’s alive?” 2D’s eyes widened. It was too good to be true, but he had hope.

“Kinda!” Murdoc responded, a bit too cheerful.

“What do you mean ‘kinda’?” 

Murdoc frowned. “You’ll see.” 

This left 2D with more questions then what he originally had, and he had no idea as to how to put half of them into words. 

He was lead inside by Murdoc, who was babbling about how amazing life on the island was. How great it is, to be on the most desolate location on earth! 2D didn’t catch most of what Murdoc said. He couldn’t concentrate on anything at the moment. 

He was given a tour of the mansion, which took about thirty minutes in total. He was shown just about everything. The building was huge, with many empty rooms. They just skipped over those. They stopped in the kitchen.

“Ya hungry?” 

“Kinda. I was jus’ gassed and shipped across the ocean...” 

“Oh, yeah, about that- I figured you’d decline if I just asked you. Anyways, you can have anything you want from in here! I don’t care, I have way more supplies than I need.” 

“Uh. Okay.” That was strange. Murdoc? Being nice to him? Did he want something? “Uh, where is all the food?” 

“Oh! Yeah! It’s in the-” he paused. “You know what, nevermind. I’ll just make you something! How do you feel about cake? I have more than I can eat.” 

“Yeah, I like cake. That actually sounds good right now.” Stu admitted. He turned to look out the doorway. He swore he had heard someone, but there was no trace of anyone.

“It’s ready. I got myself some, too.” Murdoc interrupted his thoughts, causing him to fall back into reality. 

“Is there a table we can eat at or somethin’? My legs ache from bein’ crammed in a box.” 2D asked, leaning against the wall.

“How foolish of me. I forgot about that! I, uh, don’t actually have a table. I just eat wherever I want.” Murdoc handed him the slice of cake on a paper plate with a plastic fork. 2D accepted.

“Yeah that sounds like you.” he mumbled, then began eating. 

“So, I was wondering if you’d like to work on a new album. That’s why I brought you to this wonderous landfill.” 

2D stopped eating for a moment and thought. “I don’ know. Tha’s sudden. I’ll have to think about it.” He took another few bites of his cake. Murdoc had hardly eaten. Stu didn’t notice, but he had pulled out a bottle of rum.

“Well tell me what you decide when you make a choice. I don’t have forever.” 

There was an awkward pause in conversation. Stu’s cake was gone. He had eaten so fast.

“Where will I be stayin’?” he asked. It seemed there were no other bedrooms, except for the ones for the guest artists. 

“I was just about to show you that!” the older man stated. 

Next they got into an elevator. It was kind of small, but at least it worked. The elevator descended downwards. He was previously unaware that there was a lower level, but it didn’t surprise him. The elevator came to a sudden stop, causing the taller man to stumble slightly. The doors opened and immediately it felt cooler and damper. 

“Not too much farther.” Murdoc reassured him. They walked down a small flight of stairs and came across a door. “Here we are!” He pushed open the door. Inside was a small twin bed with a window that gave a nice view of the water. The room was a decent size. There were a few random objects leaning against the wall, along with a few old photos that Stu couldn’t quite make out from a distance. 

“It’s nice. Why am I so far from everyone else though?” he asked, examining the underwater space. 

“Well, I figured you’d want to be away from me. I would too!” 

He was right. 2D had no response. 

“Anyways, I’m going back outside.” he began to close the door, then stopped to say something else. “Consider the whole album thing while I’m gone, alright?” He slammed the door shut. The former singer didn’t seem phased by it. He sat down on the bed and pulled one of the pictures closer to him. It was a picture of the whole band back in 2002. They all looked so happy, except for Murdoc. If Noodle really was on the island, maybe things could be somewhat normal again. But he hadn’t seen her when given a tour of the island. Perhaps he had just not ran into her. Even if she was here, not having Russel around was a shame. He was pretty chill most of the time and would just listen when he rambled. It was nice to have someone to talk to like that. 

Would he have a say in contributing to the new album? Probably not. He was unsure if he even wanted to contribute. If it really was just him and Murdoc he would rather not. If Noodle was there then he would. He missed her so much. Staring down at the picture he remembered; All those good times they had, would they be able to be happy like that again? Could he be happy on this lonely beach? But was he really ever happy? He had been kidnapped and beaten so many times. 

He picked up another photo. It was Noodle on the windmill island before the Feel Good Inc video shoot. How had she survived El Mañana? There was no trace of her in the wreckage, or anywhere at all. She hasn’t been seen since. He faintly recalled something Murdoc had said. She was “kinda” here. What did that even mean? 

He felt the need to search for her. If she was here he would certainly find her. The anxiety was getting to be too much. He stood up from the bed and tried to open the door. The handle was stuck. He tried again, desperate this time. The door didn’t budge. It was locked. He knocked on it a few times, hoping someone would come help, but there was no response. He sighed in defeat and sat back down on the bed. He picked up one of the photos and studied it. Would anything ever be the same?  

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he heard a knock at the door. He perked up and hurried to open it. He had to look down to see who the person was. He felt his heart skip a beat. It was her. But what was odd about her was that in almost five years, she hadn’t changed. She had the same haircut and was the exact same height. The only difference is that she was wearing a military uniform of sorts. 

“Hello.” she greeted him. “You are 2D, correct?” 

“Yeah, tha’s me. You don’t remember?” 2D asked, confused. 

“I don’t believe we have met.” Noodle responded, equally confused. 

“What do you mean? Of course we’ve met.” the singer frowned.

“Oh. It seems you do not know…” she sounded sad. Her shoulders slumped. 

“... Don’ know what?” 

“I… I’m not her.” The girl spoke quietly. “I’m sorry. I’m not even human.” 

Stu looked even more confused. The girl picked up on this. 

“I’m a cyborg. I was built using her DNA.” She explained. “Murdoc built me. Please don’t be upset at me.” 

Stu felt his heart sink. “No, I’m not mad at you I just…” he trailed off. He looked oddly solemn. 

“Can I assist you in any way?” The cyborg asked, concerned. 

“I don’t know. I… I jus’... need to think. About this. Process it.” 

She looked down. “I see. As of master’s orders I shall check back on you in approximately three hours. I apologize ahead of time if I interrupt anything.”

Stu closed the door. He sat back down on the bed and put his face in his hands. Why the hell would Murdoc make a robot copy of Noodle? Why did he think that was even close to being okay? 

 

He must have fallen asleep at some point. His room was dark now. The only light came from the open door. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. They hurt. Was he crying? His head ached.

The cyborg stood a ways away from him. He studied her. If only it were actually her. 

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Don’ know still. Bad.” 2D answered. “Do you know where Murdoc keeps his pills?” 

“Yes, but I have been given strict orders not to give you any. Apologies.” 

“Great…” he put one hand on his head. 

“Do you have a headache?” she asked. 

“Yea…” 2D mumbled, not looking directly at her. 

“Let me get you some water. That should help.” She moved swiftly out the door, closing it behind her. Stu knew it was most likely locked. 

She came back a few minutes later with a glass of ice water. Stu took it and began drinking. The cold liquid felt nice on his dry throat. He didn’t even realize how thirsty he was. He drank the entire glass in a few moments. He wiped his mouth with his arm. “Thanks.” he murmured, handing the glass back to cyborg. 

“I’m sorry if I upset you.”

“No, you didn’t. It’s jus’ that Noodle’s gone. ’S not your fault you were made.” Stu mumbled. His headache was beginning to fade. He looked up at her through the dim room. “Why were you made?”

“I… I am not sure. I was not told. Master mentioned me playing guitar and shooting guns.” She recalled. “I’m not sure if he’s serious. He’s always drunk or hungover.” 

“Yeah that sounds about right. Him always bein’ drunk. It’s terrible. He would yell at everyone and would hit me lots back when we were a band.” 

Cyborg sat down on the bed next to him. “Why would he hit you?”

“He jus’ would whenever he felt like it. I don’ know.” 2D sighed. “Sometimes he would do more than just hit me. Sometimes he’d beat me until I was bleedin’ on the floor. Maybe he did it because I’m stupid? I don’t know.” 

“You aren’t stupid. The jellyfish that crowd the water are stupid. You are a human being whose ancestors have evolved to obtain higher level thinking.”  

“I guess so.” he looked back down at the sheets. “Talking to you is better than talking to Murdoc. I don’ know what was up with ‘em earlier. Actin’ so nice. It seemed… fake.” 

“He has had some mental problems. He swings between happy and depressed every hour or so. He doesn’t treat me like a person.” 

Both of the two froze at the sound of footsteps. “Noodle? What the bloody hell is takin’ you so long?” Murdoc called from the other side of the door, obviously irritated. 

“I must leave you now.” the cyborg spoke to him, standing up from the bed. “I’ll try to come back tomorrow.” She rushed out of the dark room and locked the door behind her with a click. 


End file.
